The Gulf of Tonikn and The Vietnam War/Ho Chi Minh Trail/ Vietcong/Vietnamization

Gulf of Tonkin

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The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was a Fabricated incident where the USS Maddox was "torpedoed"It was led President Johnson for the installation of the Tonkin war
resolution
It when from 200,000 troops in 1965 to 600,000 in 1968Led to regular air support and ground support from the USA

_VIETNAM WAR

Vietnam was original a French colony,Indochina (also compromised of Laos and Cambodia) Dien Bien Phu – was the last French “battle” after WWII The South was Democratic and the North was Communist This made Vietnam a divided country NVA –North Vietnam Army VC- sympathizers with the North and wanted to go communist
Americans didn’t know whom they were really fighting against so they
destroyed all villages they come across and as questions laterSouth Vietnam was led by Ngo Dinh Diem The opposition in the south were called the National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Viet Cong (a guerrilla force) While the North (Ho Chi Minh) supported both of these groups (because they were in support of Communism) Vietnam ended up being divided by the 17th parallel

The America involvement in Vietnam The U.S. saw this as another situation in which to acct upon thier idea of containment (SEATO) Theysupported the French and Kennedy even increased troops in 1962 from 500-10,000 The American fighting in the was thought that there was no objective in the Vietnam War So they would take a Hill and then would leave This was Demoralizing for the troops because they had no real motive So in the end they just ended up Kill everyone they come acrossTet Offensive The Tet Offensive was launched by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) in 1968It was a Surprises attack on the Americans during one of their HolidaysThis event played as a major victory for the North although very little was achieved Though it was a public relations victory
because People back home saw what it was really like during the war because of this Anti-war demonstrations increase in the USA as a result

The USA withdraw because of the Tet Offensive and the negative press it received back homeTheir
first withdrawals in Aug. 1969Though their support was increased and even more bombs were dropped on North
Vietnam than during all of WWII By 1971 it was almost entirely an air war
But by Jan. 1973 a
cease fire is signed
(Americans got their POWs back after 20 years of fighting) and by Aug. 1973 all U.S. forces pulled out of
Vietnam And by the spring 1975 all of south Vietnam falls to the
north and becomes Communist

The effects of this was costs the U.S. 150 billion dollars 57, 939 men killed Loss of a country to Communism Limitations brought in on the President’s powers to wage war and Made the U.S. look bad worldwide Conscription was ended in U.S.

Ho Chi Minh and Vietcong

Ho Chi Minh/ Ho Chi Minh Trail

__Ho Chi Minh was the North Vietnam Leader The National Liberation Front (NLF) supported by the North
He sent supplies on a route from the
north through Cambodia, Laos and behind lines into south Vietnam
( Called it the Ho Chi Minh Trail)The U.S. refused to
fight on Cambodia or Laotian territory so this let the supplies remained safeHo Chi Minh and his communist supporters resisted Japanese occupation during WWII After WWII the French tried to reoccupied but they fought them offHo Chi Minh fought the French and defeated them in 1954 (Dien Bien Phu)

Were the supporters of the North living in the SouthWhen American Troupes went into a village they never knew if their was and people who supported the North so they would usually destroy the village just to make sure there weren't any Vietcong

_Vietnamization

_ Anti-war
demonstrations
became very popular in the U.S. because of the Tet offensive President Nixon was elected in
1968 on a peace platformNixon wanted to find a honorable way to withdraw from this war This lead to the developed of Vietnamizationwith help of Henry Kissinger and Henry
Cabot-Lodge

The plan had a two steps1) Make sure that south Vietnam was well trained enough militarily wise so that they could defend themselves against the north2) Strengthen the south’s government

So after 1973 there were no more American forces in Vietnam

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Summary

Because of this war the world was now able to see how horrible war actually is. Though the Americans wanted to contain Communism they were unsuccessful in this case but it also was the stop to conscription so that is always a plus. This also showed how good the Vietnamese are at defending their country.